(2nd LD) N Korea-naval destroyer
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| ▲ North Korea stages a test-firing of sea-to-surface strategic cruise missiles from a new destroyer, the Choe Hyon, on March 4, 2026, in this photo carried by the North's official Korean Central News Agency the following day. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (sitting) inspects the Choe Hyon destroyer on March 3, 2026, to review its crew members' combat training and assess its operational capabilities, in this photo carried by the North's official Korean Central News Agency on March 5. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ North Korea conducts a sea-to-surface strategic cruise missile test in leader Kim Jong-un's presence on March 4, 2026, in this compilation of photos carried by the North's official Korean Central News Agency the following day. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap) |
(2nd LD) N Korea-naval destroyer
(2nd LD) N. Korea's Kim oversees strategic cruise missile test from new destroyer
(ATTN: UPDATES with more details throughout)
SEOUL, March 5 (Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has overseen a test-firing of strategic cruise missiles from a new destroyer ahead of its commissioning, noting that equipping the navy with nuclear weapons is making "satisfactory progress," state media reported Thursday.
Kim inspected the Choe Hyon at a shipyard in the western port city of Nampho on Tuesday and Wednesday to review its crew members' combat training and assess its operational capabilities, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
Kim oversaw the launch of sea-to-surface strategic cruise missiles from the destroyer Wednesday, assessing the test as a "core" element of the warship's operational capabilities.
North Korea's reference to "strategic" weapons suggests that they could have nuclear capabilities.
Photos released by state media show the Choe Hyon firing at least four cruise missiles in succession, with Kim watching from on land.
In April last year, North Korea unveiled the Choe Hyon, a 5,000-ton multipurpose destroyer, as part of efforts to enhance its naval power.
After overseeing a shakedown cruise Tuesday, the North's leader described the destroyer as a "new symbol of sea defense capability."
"Our Navy's forces for attacking from under and above water will grow rapidly. The arming of the Navy with nuclear weapons is making satisfactory progress," Kim was quoted as saying by the KCNA.
The North's leader called for building two surface warships of the same class or higher every year over the next five-year period.
Kim also inspected the third Choe Hyon-class destroyer under construction at the shipyard, the KCNA said.
In June last year, North Korea launched another 5,000-ton destroyer, the Kang Kon, after it had tipped over during its initial launch attempt the previous month. North Korea has been strengthening the naval force with a plan to build a new warship of the same class by October 2026.
The inspection came as North Korea wrapped up the weeklong congress of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea on Feb. 25. In a new five-year plan to enhance defense power, Pyongyang vowed to continue to produce nuclear weapons and develop various strategic weapons.
Meanwhile, in a separate dispatch, the KCNA reported that Kim oversaw a shooting contest of snipers from Korean People's Army (KPA) units Tuesday to mark "Sniper's Day" in the military.
"Noting that the crack-shot marksmanship should be a symbol and feature of the matchless combat capability of the KPA, he gave important guidelines for training a-match-for-a-hundred all-round snipers," the report said.
It marked the first time that North Korean media have mentioned Sniper's day. The exact date of the observance remains unknown.
Kim's latest inspection of the shooting contest may be in line with Pyongyang's purported policy to nurture snipers as a main military force, observed since its dispatch of troops to support Russia in its war with Ukraine, an official at the unification ministry in Seoul said.
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